Total Credits: 4.75 CLE, 4.75 Workers' Compensation Law Specialization
The annual workers' compensation seminar features staples like case law and legislative updates as well as topics on ethics, medical subjects and technology issues.
12:00 – 2:00 p.m. Case Law/Legislative Review
Case Law: Rob Forman, Dix & Forman PC
Kevin Karges, Norton & Brozina
Legislative: Brian Clymer, Brian Clymer Attorney At Law
Mark Kendall, CopperPoint Insurance Companies
2:15 – 3:45 p.m. Potential Impact of AI in Workers' Compensation Practice
Beverly Wright, PhD, CAP
Head of Data Science, Burtch Works
President, INFORMS Analytics Society
Chair, Technology Association of Georgia's Data Science & AI Society
Director of Data Science Programs, Executive Education, University of Georgia
4:00 - 5:15 p.m. Breakout Groups
Applicants’ Bar: Laura Clymer, Brian Clymer Attorney At Law
Defense Bar: Kirk Barberich, Lundmark Barberich LaMont & Slavin PC
Judicial: Hon. Paula Eaton, Industrial Commission of Arizona
Hon. LuAnn Haley, Industrial Commission of Arizona
For more information on hotel reservations and location, please visit: azbar.org/workerscomp
| 2023 Workers' Comp Manual (13.3 MB) | 240 Pages | Available after Purchase |
| Potential Impact of AI for Workers' Compensation Practice (1.7 MB) | 12 Pages | Available after Purchase |
Kirk Barberich, Esq. graduated from the University of Arizona law school in 1987. He is certified by the State Bar of Arizona as a workers' compensation specialist, a member of the workers' compensation CLE committee and has limited his practice to workers' compensation defense since July 1990. He is rated as AV Preeminent by Martindale-Hubble and has been elected to The Best Lawyers in America since 2010. He is a member of Lundmark, Barberich, LaMont and Puig, PC.
Brian I. Clymer has practiced law in Arizona since 1978. He has been a sole proprietor in Tucson since 1996 when he opened his firm, Brian Clymer, Attorney at Law, which represents claimants in Social Security disability and workers’ compensation cases. His sister Laura joined him in 2013 as an associate attorney.
Brian grew up in Phoenix, spent his junior high years in Michigan, and then moved to Tucson where he finished high school. He earned a B.A. with high honors from the University of Virginia and graduated with high distinction from the University of Arizona College of Law.
He has been board certified in Workers’ Compensation by the State Bar of Arizona since 1983 and currently serves on the Workers’ Compensation Advisory Commission of the State Bar of Arizona which evaluates attorneys for specialization certification in Workers’ Compensation.
Brian has won cases before the Arizona Court of Appeals and the Arizona Supreme Court on a variety of issues including: heart attacks caused by emotional stress, hearing loss from gradual noise exposure, exposure to pesticides, gradual injury claims for muscular conditions, the definition of “disability” for time loss injuries, and making scheduled injuries unscheduled.
Brian was a contributing writer to two chapters of the Arizona Workers’ Compensation Handbook published by the State Bar of Arizona. In his spare time he enjoys rooting for the San Francisco Giants, grilling in his backyard, and watching Six Nations rugby “fixtures” with his daughter, Emily.
Laura Clymer is an associate at Brian Clymer, Attorney at Law. The firm represents people in Arizona workers’ compensation and Social Security disability cases. Laura is a workers' compensation certified specialist, State Bar of Arizona. She also serves on the executive board of the Arizona Association of Lawyers for Injured Workers. She’s been recognized as Best Lawyers “Ones to Watch”, workers’ compensation - claimants, for four consecutive years (2021-2024).
In addition to practicing full-time, Laura is a part-time, adjunct professor of law practice at the University of Arizona, where she teaches a legal writing, analysis and research class to UA undergraduate law majors and MLS graduate students.
Laura, a native Arizonan, graduated from the Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law at Arizona State University in 2013. She was one of 11 in her graduating class of 210 students to receive a Dean’s Award for outstanding contributions and performance at the law school. She passed the Arizona bar exam in July 2013 and was licensed to practice law on December 11, 2013.
Outside of work, Laura takes on an active role in her faith community, Casas Adobes Congregational, U.C.C. She is a member of the Rotary Club of Marana, where she serves as club president. She's a loyal fan of UA athletics, and enjoys reading, movies, travel, and most of all, spending time with family and friends over a great meal.
While in law school, Laura was co-editor-in-chief of the Law Journal for Social Justice; served on the executive board of OUTLaw, the gay-straight student alliance; and worked as a research assistant in the ASU Work-Life Policy Unit of the Civil Justice Clinic at the law school. She also completed legal externships for U.S. Magistrate Judge David K. Duncan, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and the civil division of the U.S. Attorney’s Office, and clerked one summer in Maricopa County Superior Court.
Prior to law school, Laura was a journalist for 18 years. She was the city editor and online content editor for the award-winning Arizona Daily Sun newspaper in Flagstaff from 2001 until August 2010.
Honorable Paula Eaton is an Administrative Law Judge with the Industrial Commission of Arizona where she has been employed for the last twenty nine years. Prior to joining the Administrative Law Judge Division, Ms. Eaton was employed as a staff attorney with the agency. As a staff attorney, Ms. Eaton appeared before the Governor's Regulatory Review Commission, represented the agency in numerous OSHA fatality cases and workers' compensation cases, and appeared before the Arizona Court of Appeals and the Arizona Supreme Court in agency matters. She has received training in both basic and advanced mediation. She became an Administrative Law Judge in 2003. Since 2018, she has also worked as an instructor at Grand Canyon University teaching a graduate course on the U.S. and Arizona Constitution. Ms. Eaton is a past co-chair of the Workers' Compensation Section of the State Bar of Arizona; is a past co-chair of the CLE Committee of the Workers' Compensation Section; and is a past member of the editorial board of the Arizona Attorney magazine. Ms. Eaton has served as an editor of the Arizona Appellate Handbook, Workers' Compensation Section published by the State Bar of Arizona. She is the author of "The Americans with Disabilities Act and Workers' Compensation Law", Tort and Insurance Law Journal (Winter 1993).
Rob Forman is a partner at Dix & Forman, P.C. and represents applicants at the Industrial Commission and plaintiffs in Superior Court. He has been practicing workers' compensation law for over 30 years, has been a certified specialist in workers' compensation law since 1991, and has been a frequent speaker at workers' compensation seminars. Rob has brought joy and wisdom to the many fortunate witnesses to his speeches and is loved by all.
Honorable LuAnn Haley has been an Administrative Law Judge with the Industrial Commission of Arizona since 1999. Judge Haley graduated from college and law school in Pennsylvania and received her Juris Doctorate from the Dickinson School of Law in 1981. She practiced law in Pennsylvania from 1981 through 1998 before moving to Arizona in 1998. She continues to be admitted to practice law in Pennsylvania and also has been licensed in Arizona since 1999. While practicing in Pennsylvania, she handled workers’ compensation cases for employers, carriers and self-insured employers. Judge Haley has been a frequent lecturer for continuing legal education seminars in both Arizona and Pennsylvania and also serves on the CLE committee for the State Bar of Arizona’s Workers’ Compensation Section. Judge Haley is a Fellow of the College of Workers’ Compensation Lawyers and serves on the Executive Committee for the organization. In addition, she is a member of the National Association of Workers’ Compensation Judiciary and serves as is one of the editors for the NAWCJ’s monthly newsletter.
Kevin E. Karges. Mr. Karges is an Arizona native who earned his undergraduate degree from Arizona State University as a Presidential Academic Scholarship recipient. Mr. Karges attended law school at The University of Arizona as a Dean’s Achievement Scholarship recipient. After law school, Mr. Karges began working for a multi-state law firm focusing exclusively on workers’ compensation defense. In 2017, Mr. Karges joined the firm of Norton & Brozina where he is now a partner. Mr. Karges continues to devote his practice to workers’ compensation defense and is recognized as a certified specialist in Workers’ Compensation by the State Bar of Arizona.
Mark Kendall is currently Vice President of Legal Services with CopperPoint’s Legal and Regulatory Affairs Division. Primary duties include executive management of in-house legal services and coordination of CopperPoint legislative initiatives.
He received his B.A. in Political Science from Northern Arizona University in 1983 and a M.A. in International Relations from the University of Arizona in 1986. He received his J.D. from Arizona State University in 1988 and a Ph.D. from Arizona State University in Justice Studies in the year 2000. He is a certified specialist in workers’ compensation and has limited his practice to workers’ compensation defense for the past 29 years. He is the past co-chair of the workers’ compensation section of the State Bar of Arizona and actively engaged in continuing legal education in workers’ compensation. Mark is a member of the Arizona Chamber of Commerce Executive Committee and serves as chair of its Workplace, Workers’ Compensation, and Insurance Committee. Mark also serves as an Executive Board Member and Chair of the Finance Committee for Children’s Action Alliance, Arizona’s premier children’s advocacy organization.
Dr. Beverly Wright has spent over 30 years leading and delivering data science and analytics through corporate, consulting, and academic experiences. She has served as executive, leader, educator, and advisor of data science and analytics teams to help provide solutions for solving complex business problems.
As Head of Data Science at Burtch Works, Beverly provides guidance to a variety of businesses and to frame and solve critical issues using modeling and advanced analytics, and oversees delivery of data science solutions. She also serves as Director of Data Science for University of Georgia, Executive Education, where she builds, staffs, delivers, and evaluates programs targeted for executives.
Beverly gives back to her community through operating a nonprofit called TAG Data Science & Analytics – FOR GOOD Initiative, leveraging volunteers, data, tools, and other resources to tackle community challenges. She also serves as Board Chair for TAG Data Science & Analytics, Board Member for Georgia Institute of Technology’s Master of Science in Analytics program, and Neighborhood Nexus, President of the Analytics Society at INFORMS, and podcast host for TAG Data Talk.
Andrew Apodaca is a proud Wildcat Alum and earned dual bachelor's degrees from the University of Arizona in 2009. He then returned home to New Mexico where he earned his Juris Doctorate from the University of New Mexico in 2012.
Andrew began his career as a prosecutor in Hobbs, New Mexico, and also worked as a prosecutor in Las Cruces, New Mexico. While in New Mexico Andrew briefly practiced in the civil realm, with a focus in the areas of workers compensation and personal injury, representing injured individuals. In 2018 Andrew moved back to Arizona with his wife Veronica, and Andrew joined the firm of Goering, Roberts, Rubin, Brogna, Enos, & Treadwell-Rubin, P.C. Andrew practices in the areas of Workers' Compensation defense, and insurance defense litigation, and also serves as general counsel to public safety retirement boards. When he is not at work Andrew enjoys quality time with his for year old son, and four month old daughter.
Joe Coughlin is a native of San Diego, CA, who relocated to Arizona for his Undergrad at Northern Arizona University. Following a brief return to San Diego after NAU, Joe permanently relocated to Phoenix Arizona and started a career in Finance. Begin the son of a Lawyer, he always had a strong interest in the legal field. After a decade in Finance, he decided to attend night law school while still working full time. Graduating early, Joe immediately started working as a Workers Compensation Attorney representing injured workers.
Joe finally found his home joining the talented Attorneys and Staff of Snow, Carpio and Weekley. Thriving on the collaborative firm culture he looks forward to continuing the work of standing with the workers of Arizona.
When not at work, Joe enjoys trips to San Diego, camping, board games, and BBQ all with his wife Meggan, and two children, Rosie, and Parker.
